Photograph by Mary Caroline Russell
Growing up, chilaquiles were what my dad would make for special breakfasts, using the salsa from dinner the night before. He would fry up old tortillas he’d sliced into strips, then coat them in the sauce. I ate them with a fried egg and, sometimes, my mom’s black beans. The meal holds a special place in my breakfast rotation, and I rarely like anyone else’s version outside of what I’ve found in Mexico.
That was, however, until I tried Kevin Maxey’s chilaquiles at the Superica in Krog Street Market one Saturday morning. Maxey, the chef in charge of El Felix and Superica, fell in love with chilaquiles the first time he tried them many breakfasts ago with his wife in Fort Worth, Texas. Intrigued by the dish, he began formulating his own version, which now graces the brunch menu at both Krog Street and Buckhead locations.
Maxey leaves the pieces of tortilla out to dry before frying them, which gives finished product’s texture an addictively chewy crunch. The chips are then bathed in a red chili sauce that softens the masa and marries all of the ingredients. A generous heap of sauced chips is topped with two fried eggs, pickled jalapenos and carrots, crumbled queso fresco, sliced avocado, shaved radishes, and chopped cilantro. Whether it’s post-gym or hangover food you seek, this dish promises to satisfy the craving for those spicy, cheesy, fatty, crunchy, and acidic Mexican breakfast notes.
The Chilaquiles are $12 and come with refried beans and fresh flour tortillas. They are only served at brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 9am-2pm at the Krog Street Market Location and 10am-3pm at the Buckhead location.
Photograph by Mary Caroline Russell courtesy of Superica.
